Just a sec! A comparative study of the changing role of secretarial staff in Australia and New Zealand

Just a sec! A comparative study of the changing role of secretarial staff in Australia and New Zealand

Little progress has been made in Australia and New Zealand towards achieving gender balance in management. One factor that has received little consideration in seeking explanations for this lack of progress is the lack of recognition given to professional secretaries. This paper reports a study of 600 members of professional secretarial associations in Australia and new Zealand. The major purpose of the study was to assess the relevance of the 'ghetto' thesis (Benet, 1972) to this type of work. Also investigated during the study were any possible links between industry type, sector or size of organisation and the status of secretarial work.

The study clearly shows that, although secretarial work still displays many of the characteristics of 'ghetto' occupations, professional secretaries are undertaking a large number of management-type tasks and that autonomy levels experienced are very similar to those of management. Industry, sector and organisational size were shown to have little effect on the status of secretarial work indicating that the factors restricting opportunities and rewards for secretarial workers are extra-organisational rather than intra-organisational in nature and based on deeply entrenched perceptions of this highly feminised occupation. A number of theoretical perspectives are investigated to help explain why this group of workers has remained partly ghettoised. Explanation is given of a number of factors limiting organisational progress which are restricted to secretaries rather than affecting female employees in general.

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